urVa
by Mixie Plum
Summary: urVa The Mystics' adventures


Chapter 10

urVa dipped his hand in the cool stream, drank his fill while his steed, a few feet away did the same. He was a great mount and a wonderful asset, a very rare gift from the clans of the crystal pirates (rare as in they never just "gave" anything away). They were revered for producing these crystal horses, which weren't exactly horses in the typical sense; it is told that when the first Gelfling pirates came to the sea, their horses mated with the creatures already inhabiting the land, they were a breed unto themselves. Other clans would come from all around to see them, some even paid the hefty price set by the pirates but they still largely managed to be exclusive to the Dousan, who took their care of these beasts with utmost importance.

He was a gorgeous sight; in the few weeks they had been traveling together urVa noticed that his skin took on a crystalline texture and appearance which doubled as very effective body armor and protection from the elements. He was as black as the deepest pit with shards of dark pink crystals streaming through his rippled body, he was magnificent. They were also said by the pirates to be smarter than any creature alive-and most Gelflings, which urVa thought to be not completely accurate yet there were times over the past two weeks he swore he felt the animal listened as he spoke and that only made him talk more frequently by the nightly fire. When mounted, urVa felt free riding atop him, he needed never to give the horse any direction; he just knew where to go.

"You need a name, friend." he gazed at him admiringly; the horse grunted and continued drinking. "Something powerful; befitting you…hmmm." He placed his fingers on his chin in thought.

"How about Rystaff?" the horse slowed his gait and grunted at that loudly which made urVa chuckle. "Alight then…Futch?" the horse pinned his ears back and completely froze midstride; urVa roared with laughter at this.

"Hmmm, my first bow as a lad was made from a tree that had died from elder age – a Vespyr tree. There are very little left in the world, they're as rare as you are; Yes then, how about Vespyr?"

Vespyr, urVa perceived, appearing to be in deep thought at this, let out a soft neigh then continued on at a canter. urVa felt a twinge of happiness at that, whether it was his emotion or Vespyr's he knew not, yet decided to accept it and rode on. He definitely wouldn't put it past his companion to communicate telepathically.

urVa stalled a bit before leaving to collect the crystal sand from that vast desert, but not before asking permission; one daren't try to take some without verbalizing their desire of it. Dousan were a superstitious lot who believed their sea was alive and breathing, aiding in their battles, journeys, and good fortunes. For the crystal sand had valuable properties and its power only to be used if given freely by a pirate; he had had a medium-sized dram full to take with him-a very generous donation he thought. He headed in a northeasterly direction towards the wood, eager to feel the wind on his face, he dug his heels into Vespyr's flanks whom only seemed excited at that and took off.

After a week's time, they had entered within the wood and it began to get chillier; that was fortunate as it meant they were getting closer to the Vapras and their arbitrator. The Oyre Wood (or Dark Wood, which it had been called for the past century or so) was home to not one but two tribes of Gelfling – Vapras and Woodland; who lived in harmony with one another most likely because their Queens were sisters. But there was one more neighbor to mention, not in the Wood but through the Woodland clans' land there is a path not far to the gigantic mountains where The Spriton reside. The Spriton warriors-the unruly and arrogant Spriton warriors urVa thought as his head began to ache. They were far enough away from Vapra Village to only occasionally be a nuisance, the Vapras were safe. The Woodlands and The Spritons on the other hand, were constantly warring. Luckily both territories were fond of urVa, The Spritons especially after growing up with him; he had lived there sporadically for years and forged many bonds which he still had to this day. Within the village, tales of urVa's prowess with a bow were widely told, his adeptness at the Mystics' four-handed martial arts was discussed even more; nobody was as skilled as urVa at it. They spoke of urVa's menacing looks when they first described him to their young which amused urVa-tall, thrice the size of any normal Gelfling, muscles as big as your head, flowing scalp lock at the base of his neck with the sides of his head shaved, and markings all over his arms, some say to record all of his conquests. The truth was, he was born with those markings unlike his brothers and he couldn't stand his hair in his face; the height, well, he was that big but urVa never used force unless he absolutely had to. The tales came often but from none more so than the three bravest men (foolhardy urVa sometimes thought) Zedil, the Captain of the Guard with whom urVa had the closest friendship; his son, Denil, quickly fighting his way up the ranks to take over after his father, and Gorall, perhaps the simplest, yet strongest of them all, Queen Hyla's best warrior and bodyguard. They respected strength above all else, never has a feat gone by without stories of great champions in battle. The fond times with the four friends far outweighed the headaches, urVa was very excited to see them all soon.

The Woodland section of the forest was much different - idyllic with its rolling hills, fields of lavender and heather; the climate never got below cool unlike their Vapra counterpart. Simple, yet fortified to all manner of measure to protect their vast farmlands which often had a Spriton thief in it; it was a standard coming of age challenge for them: Swipe what you can without being caught. They thought this was hilarious, the Woodland Gelflings, not so much. It caused them to perpetually strengthen their borders, never-ending it seemed, there was always was a Spriton who managed to sneak through. The Spriton men were just out for general mischief, when it came to a real altercation, nobody could best the Woodland Gelflings; they said of the "lazy Spritons" that the fight ends when they're too tired from pounding away at the doors with their huge iron hammers.

urVa wondered if the two clans would ever have resolution, who knew how long this war with the Skesis would reign; Without cooperation, we may all fall. urVa knew he was being defeatist again, a trait that plagued him often. He felt mired in his quest. It was hopeless, the pain inflicted on his people seared through his heart; he heard their woe and despair-their sadness. Mostly, he heard the words of the Skeksi, skekTet-"Put the little flings in the extractor hmmmm!" With his lifeless eyes, his cracking, charred, and disfigured beak, and a terrible guttural, ashy voice, he cackled hoarsely when he watched a Gelfling in the Extractor, couple that with the sounds of sighs escaping them as Gelfling souls were lost from their bodies one by one; it was too much. urVa had never felt as much rage and fire than he did when having visions of skekTet. He wished to go no further on an almost daily basis but knew and felt that he must. The power of the Arbitrators was the only way to learn how to defeat skekTet. Then urVa sank further in his mire. "What if I fail?" he whispered to no one but himself. He didn't want to think about that, each Mystic was appointed with a task; urVa had to be strong like he knew his brothers would be. He would not doubt himself, he would be sure that he and his brothers would most certainly not fail.

He decided to find a clearing that night as it started to snow, they were a half day's ride away from the clearing to the Vapra lands and he was low with energy, a good rest will help him and Vespyr for what would be ahead tomorrow, for which it was, he knew not. They most assuredly deserved a little fire and food.

In the morning, the ground was blanketed with snowfall, Vespyr sniffed at it cautiously, his huge, night-hued body gleaming against the brightness of the sun's reflection beneath their feet. "I forgot you're used to the heat of the desert." urVa chuckled at his steed, and then leaned in to whisper in his ear while he gave his soft nose a rub. "If you imagine real hard, it almost looks like the Crystalline Sea eh?" Vespyr snorted at him.

The day was blustery which made it difficult to see - for urVa. Apparently and thankfully, new climates did not hinder Vespyr. He seemed to be slicing through the air with hawk-like precision. Over the past few weeks of travel, urVa was still getting used to his quirks, like the fact that he never seemed to eat, only drinking water at their stops. By the dusk hours, urVa had deemed they had gone far enough and needed to sleep, which Vespyr also never appeared to do. The Vapras watch their woods closely so urVa was certain they already knew they'd arrived and would have a visitor awaiting them before daybreak. He would be personally "escorted" to the village; he knew that; the Vapras were a meticulously careful people.

He'd had terrible dreams that night, he didn't often dream and it had been longer than he could remember since the last one. He tossed about all night but couldn't get himself to wake up, he kept getting stuck in them, they kept changing every few moments from bleak to surreal in tone; he would hear Gelfling weeping, sounds of despair, urVa felt himself drenched in sweat yet still could not wake up. He heard skekTet's maniacal cackling and was unnerved, he attempted to shoot an arrow at his head but it just went through his face and the laughter continued loudly. urVa finally shocked himself and rose up gasping for air, he looked around and wiped sweat off of his brow; he lay back down with a feeling of dread but no longer dreamt of horrid things.

The next sunrise, urVa felt awoken by a fluttering feeling on his face, it was what felt like many pairs of soft wings, he heard a soft trill at first that progressively got louder and louder until he opened his eyes, this must be the emissary. He tried to close his eyes again to cling to the last vestiges of sleep but then he felt tiny hands pull one of his eyelids and let go with a snap. "Ow!" he yelped as he quickly sat up and rubbed his eye. When he could finally look at his assailant, he saw a pair of huge, iridescent moth wings and a cooing face; she seemed to be charming yet with a distinct edge-a Vapra alright.

"I'm called Tuli; I'm to bring you to the Lady Keirnaine." Her voice was tin yet demanding. urVa could barely see a body and suspected that Tuli was mostly made up of wings but thought best to follow her command with haste. "Alright then Tuli, please lead us to her." He bowed floridly then gave her a little smile; she trilled her delight. The short trip was pleasant, the air was cool, Tuli sang little songs of frivolity and sweets while Vespyr snorted his disdain. When they arrived after an hour or so, urVa could see that the village was bathed in sunlight and the low humming of the Vapra women-they were everywhere, floating this way and that. Tuli darted across the square, probably to go straight to Keirnaine to let her know he had arrived. They appeared solemn and peaceful to the common eye but none to trifle with; time meant nothing to them, they could keep company for days without taking a breath, you could be lost for all your years in this clan if you weren't careful; never ask for a favor unless carefully worded. urVa kept his mind alert and his mouth closed his entire stay in Vapra Village, always; he and Vespyr silently kept watch at the edge of the village square, peering into the everyday goings on of these ethereal creatures. After a quarter of an hour Tuli had flitted back to them, "Come now urVooo" she purred. "Mum wants to see you now..." Tuli attached herself to his hand pinching tightly, but he chose to ignore it. He knew Tuli was the first part of the test. She led him to a small patch of earth shaped circularly with four pale gradient colors, urVa instinctively sat in the center and crossed his legs, he was nervous. He knew this was a sacred clearing for meditation, he had been here many times yet it had been ages since he had used it to his full capabilities. He was unlike all the other Mystics, preferring to be one with the land in his own ways. Tuli glided up from his hand to his ear and whispered softly, "Think….go"

urVa closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and started falling. The color more vibrant, swirling around him – azure, rust, moss, those were the most prominent. Silver seemed to be faint, urVa had to gaze more intently but still, it was not as strong as the others. He attempted to strain his eyes to see the silver more clearly but again, he could not. He understood now, his elements weren't balanced, who could blame him? The travels, the sorrow, the exhaustion, there was only so much he could take. That was the Winged Queen's measure, one wouldn't have audience with her without balance of your elements; silver was the mind's realm. At that very realization, in the ground emerged a stone fountain and just as suddenly filled itself with water. The air was clouded around him as he approached and peered over it, it was not dry yet not filled with liquid-it was steam. urVa's lungs were filled with heat as he bent over the structure, he was about to extend his hand in to try to cup some of the steam but was stopped. He felt panicked as he froze to the spot; he looked up then and met her gaze. Keirnaine's eyes were made up of quickly moving lights, seeming as if there were numerous eyes studying him, looking through him. Her wings were a dark grey shadow, urVa squinted to see them more clearly but he just couldn't. A Vapra woman's wings were her crowning glory and she chose not to reveal hers yet.

"You will not drink." Her voice sounded like ten different timbres, all in a harmony yet dark as night. "Why is your water low urVa, Mystic of the Bow?" Without even a chance to speak himself, the answer washed over him, he voicelessly croaked and gasped for air, he looked up at Keirnaine with pleading, he was afraid.

"Lie on the ground, let the water seep in." she spoke with such finality he had no choice but to obey. Although he did not understand, as the water the steam came from was all contained within the fountain, but he did what she said, still unable to utter a sound. As he lay down there were a few moments of silence and panic, but then he felt it-the water, pooling all around him, surrounding him. Once it poured out of the fountain and touched his skin he felt like ice, it traveled to his hands and trapped his wrists. He could breathe now and probably speak if he dare, but he was still helpless and could only look up at the Arbitrator's smirking face-she was challenging him, he was determined to speak.

"I'm not certain of my abilities, I..I don't feel confident." He admitted it and a wave of relief swept over him. "What if I cannot win this battle Arbitrator? What if my brothers cannot?"

"What?" she was angered. "This is not understood, you have formidable strength, how is it that you do not see that? Are you even suited for this trial, Mystic?" urVa was visibly angry now and Keirnaine saw this and smiled broadly, continuing to challenge and cajole him; she was taunting him. He was powerless to resist her manipulations.

"Ha." She scoffed. "You've not yet done anything to prove it to me urVa! You've whined and wheezed and sniveled, but not shown me your full virtue." Her voice turned frightening the harder she pressed him. She laughed and danced about, making faces and rude gestures, her wings looked even more menacing, as if they were going to trap and eat him for dinner.

"Wee ickle urVa sitting on the floor, big bad beastie knock on your door? Better win or the Extractor is in store!"

She was running the gamut of the mind's cycle, Vapras were known for their quickly changing emotional states. urVa was sick of it. Who is she to be doing thus to a Mystic? What power did she have that was greater than his? urVa's resolve was coming back to him, he freely accepted this challenge he thought, she would not delay him. "YES! He roared. Arbitrator I am strong and I am able to save my people! I will defeat the Scientist!"

He stood up then. The ice that held him back burst at his willpower, he looked Keirnaine in the eyes, all of them, they started to burn but he would not close them; he would not give up-then everything started to clear. The intensity in Keirnaine's eyes softened and the steam began to dissipate, his own eyes teared up forcing him to shut them. When he opened them again, they felt no burn, they were cleansed. They both were now in a singular room with little light, urVa looked around bemusedly. Then there was Tuli, softly trilling, Keirnaine held out her hand and Tuli flew to her with excitement. "I've felt your absence greatly my friend." Keirnaine spoke in a more subdued voice now, urVa thought he saw a tear come to her face while she embraced the little moth. Tuli whispered something to Keirnaine while she absently stroked her wings. urVa decided they were bonded beyond friendship and lowered his head so they can have their private moment.

"Yes he did fine my love; he is well on his way." Keirnaine then looked at urVa with a lilting smile, "She was worried about you." urVa courtly nodded to both of them and bowed; he didn't always appreciate being spoken about right in front of him but this little exchange filled his soul with joy for some reason.

"Tuli likes you urVa of the Bow, she will accompany you, please keep her safe for me." She exclaimed as if it were a veiled threat. As he was about to cautiously protest, Keirnaine continued on. "Please have some nourishment, and while you are here you are under the protection of the Vapra clan." With that, a plate of delicacies appeared on the small table in the center of the room. urVa dove in, his hunger making itself known instantly, the scent was overwhelming; he poured water from a decanter that had a pinkish tone to it, he didn't care as he put it to his mouth and drank deeply, it was cloyingly sweet yet he felt euphoric, it filled his senses. The breads and sweetmeats he ingested seemed to be healing from within and his will grew stronger. Keirnaine sensed this as she studied him intently, as if she were waiting for a certain event.

"You are ready to see my sister now, Tysma of the Woodland; she will give you further guidance. Feel free to rest here in these lands for a few days."

urVa was even further bemused by her sudden change in attitude towards him, she had just put him through intense emotional pain and acted as if nothing had happened, like he was now a revered house guest. Still, urVa knew respect was the only way to speak to her and he had some questions, he wasn't going to be whisked away by pastry. "Most gracious thanks Keirnaine of the Vapra, may your winged beauty continue to guard and protect your kind. She laughed then, heartily yet wickedly. "You have not even seen them in their full beauty!" That's when urVa knew he had gained her trust. He bowed respectfully then, "Then unveil them, I beg of thee, let me see your wings." With that, she grinned and spread her arms; the grandest wings urVa had ever seen emerged. They weren't iridescent as so many of the other women here, they were colorless, almost invisible, yet he could clearly see them; their power was immense and urVa could finally see why she was their protector. He bowed then slightly. "Truly I can feel your energy, my Lady."

She glided over to him quickly, so quickly that he fell onto the floor from his bowed position and her face was an inch away from his. "Perhaps you need to see a bit more urVa before you go on your way." She stood back now a few feet from him yet he was still in shock; "Shyte" he muttered to himself. Keirnaine's eyes glowed brightly, her wings beat so rapidly that they looked solid again; the air from them almost knocked urVa to the ground once more. "Gaze upon me urVa. See your purpose." Then urVa's world view was filled with space and time in their true forms. He saw what she called his purpose among the images, his eyes transfixed, he reached out at what appeared to be a shining rock, it was luring him to it; just as he moved closer to touch it, she pulled him out.

"Not yet!" she hissed a terrible sound. "That will come in due time."

"Why did you do that?" his voiced also raised in anger, she smiled owlishly at that. "So you can see what you're fighting for urVa, you are one of the integral forces of the universe; without your strength, we fail." She cast her eyes downward; he felt she secretly wasn't sure of that. He knew he had to ask of her what he had feared the most. "What if I fail Keirnaine?" he thought after their extraordinary meditation he'd finally be free of those worries; he looked at her imploringly for an answer, she smiled beatifically; she was stunning. Her beautiful lilac hair cascaded down her back and her wings were now glistening like the sun, almost cocooning her in light. It was hard to concentrate on any one area of her since all of her was fascinating. She demurely placed her hand on his face and it comforted him with feelings of inner peace. She met his gaze, their eyes became one, urVa felt overcome with emotion, and then, she opened her mouth.

"You daren't." And with that a silvery peal of laughter erupted from her tiny body. urVa was even angrier at first but realized she knew what she was doing the whole time and laughed right along.

"My sister will have a test for you as well, and be warned, she will be your last and fiercest, she sees what no one else can, your very core." She once more put her small hand on his face with what seemed like understanding. "Now take your leave Mystic, I have exhausted enough power on you!" and she smiled at him; one last time. urVa felt like he was falling out of a dream, then he crashed to the earth with a resounding thud. He looked around but she and the fountain were both gone. Tuli and Vespyr were there patiently waiting though which instantly warmed him. Then urVa lay on the ground and retched violently, it took a lot out of him, yet he still felt that inner peace as he cleaned himself off. He then realized he didn't get to ask Keirnaine anything that was swimming in his head, and then he thought that it probably wouldn't have done much good anyway. Tuli instantly became attentive to him almost to the point of annoyance and Vespyr constantly grunted his impatience at her, but he was glad to have them with him. It would have been a very lonely journey otherwise. They idled in the hospitality of the Vapran Village for almost a week before urVa decided it was time to go.

He saddled up Vespyr that morning who was more than just a little agitated to leave what had become his favourite stream, more of the pinkish hued water urVa had consumed in Keirnaine's company, but dutifully set off. As they started off at a walk urVa spent some time to be alone with his thoughts. Why did Keirnaine tell him that Tysma would be the final queen? They both knew that wasn't true, he was even heading over to the Spriton village now, as it was closest in proximity to the Vapras. Hyla's task would be easy, it had nothing to do with the mind, a game of strength with her fiercest of warriors would suffice, probably Gorall, he was her champion and urVa knew Gorall hid the deepest of feelings for her too. Nothing more would be desired from her, and then he would understand what help he'd receive.

The trip was only a few days ride, urVa thought that with a regular horse it would have probably taken a lot longer; but the three of them still managed to have a bit of leisure time, especially when Tuli stopped to talk to every flower she came across and Vespyr drank from every babbling brook. urVa felt happier than he had in a long time, the mental weight of his quest seemed lighter, it was still there, but he felt he could manage it more now. At about a day's ride away they decided to stop for the night, build a fire and cook a hearty meal; the Spritons existed solely on diets of the meat of the animals they hunted, which urVa did as well, but their spices and seasonings were too much for his stomach; they exclaimed it made their systems stronger but urVa suspected it might be yet another feat they practiced for bragging rights.

Tuli had actually been very useful in their journeys much to urVa's (and even more so Vespyr's) surprise, she was familiar with all the foliage surrounding them and always found the best firewood. urVa had given her his flint so she could start the fires while he went to hunt. Vespyr even helped by moving hefty rocks to form makeshift fire pits. They were a good little team. urVa had come back that night with a succulent boar which excited Tuli; the Vapras didn't eat much meat at all and Tuli was discovering a very keen taste for it. "I've not tried piggies before urVooo, what are they like?" she perched on his shoulder while he roasted it on a spit. "A little salty, a little fatty, but the actual meat is quite tender, I think you'll enjoy it sweet thing." Then he blew on her wings which made her giggle and fly an inch or two off his body, this was their game, she'd flit back and tickle his face with her wings then bite his cheek. "Ouch Tuli!" he smiled affectionately. "Not so hard next time." He always said that but never meant it, and she never lessened the toughness of her bite. After they had all cleaned up, Tuli hungrily licking her plate until every last bit of boar was gone, urVa got all the assorted bedding ready- a big blanket for Vespyr to lay on, a nest that Tuli had collected the twigs for herself that urVa had carefully preserved when traveling which he would fill up with sweet smelling flowers and assorted bird feathers, and thick wool blankets for himself. Tuli always positioned her nest at urVa's head and trilled him to sleep. urVa though that Vespyr was jealous of this since every time they awoke, he was sitting nearby looking at them and snorting. urVa had just as much love for him though that he showed by meticulously grooming him every morning, the soft nuzzling on his face he surmised was his thanks.

"Well my compatriots, it is time to be off." He said as he mounted his steed. "Let us see what the Spritons have in store for us." And with that, he dug his heel gently into Vespyr whom never needed much encouragement to run; Tuli flew almost as fast as he could ride as well. Life, no matter how it turned out for urVa, was nice right now.

A few hours in, they saw smoke near the mountains so they paused atop a hill to get a closer view. "I think it may be another woodland raid, look." He pointed at the smoke while Tuli looked on. "One of their post-raid victory fires." urVa chuckled while Tuli gave a disapproving cluck. Vespyr didn't seem to pay attention, instead, peering at a nearby stream in the distance. "They just can't help themselves sometimes." urVa said. They began to ride again and after an hour or so when they were only a few miles away and urVa was daydreaming of a Spriton party, the smoke was still billowing. urVa was about to say that he didn't think that it was a victory fire after all, he could feel something off, when Tuli tugged on his hair "urVoooo! I smell Skekseeeeee!" she proceeded to flit in all different directions in fear, Vespyr snorted as she darted every which way, urVa had to try at least five times to catch her and once he did, he nestled her to his chest protectively. "Calm down Tuli, they don't see us; we'll go back here behind the cover of the trees."

"Yes the treeeeeessss!" she buzzed nervously. "They like us! Come, come!" She was pulling on his shoulder. "Now, now! Oooooh Skekseeeee!" she started crying.

"It's alright my sweet one, we're going." He clung to her with his life and carried her over to the trees where they stayed hidden**. **urVa's anger was burning up even more now, he could feel the Skeksi's presence stronger-it smelled like skekMal to him, the Skeksi hunter. He was never content with staying within the realm of the Skarith, he liked to go out and "adventure". He'd bring gelfings to skekTek the Scientist for his gruesome experiments; when he wasn't hunting them down and eating them. Then again, it could be any of the Skeksis; like skekeKt who enjoyed branding Gelflings for fun with his iron symbols, or skekTet himself but he doubted that; whomever it was, this Skeksi was attacking a source of peace for urVa, one that he often called home; they must be stopped for good, and if anyone could do that it was urVa. urVa looked over at Tuli, took a deep breath and went to tell her. "Tuli, Vespyr and I must go down there and vanquish the danger, I-." she flew straight towards him and clutched his face tightly. "No urVooo! I won't let you! What if you don't come back?" a fresh wave of tears had formed around her face.

"I must sweet one, I have to help my friends, wouldn't you help me if I was down there?" he knew that would sting but he had to make haste, she would forgive him later. Tuli hid and muttered to herself while still crying but urVa didn't go after her. He'd just have to apologise later.

Vespyr had quietly walked up to urVa and leaned a saddlebag over to him. Curiously, urVa peered inside the little bag and saw the glass vial of crystalline fragments from the sea; he looked at Vespyr, who snorted. "You think that would aid us?" he asked his trusted companion. "I'm not exactly sure what this would do." urVa turned it over in his hand. Vespyr grunted and pushed urVa with his nose, encouraging him to get mounted. urVa knew he wouldn't need Vespyr to run to the Spritons. On foot, he was almost as fast as his horse; his four limbs were all capable of land speed. urVa didn't however, want to be exhausted by the time he got to Spriton village, and he'd almost immediately have to find the Skeksi scum.

He and Vespyr took off and it was a veritable blur, the horse was traveling through the air at top speed; it took less than a quarter of an hour. He arrived to a village that was once full of life and merriment but was now burned alive; destruction loomed throughout as urVa scanned for any signs of life, any at all. He found he was filled with more rage than usual, the scorched earth and acrid scent of burning bodies filled his nostrils; he wanted to cry out for the losses of his friends but got the better of himself-find the cursed Skeksi he told himself. He wanted to find his friends most of all; as he examined the ruins he saw signs of hurried flight, hopefully Zedil and the guard were guiding as many townspeople out as he can and into the mountains where they'd be safe.

"ur-urVa?" urVa spun Vespyr around and saw a young Gelfling lying on the ground, trapped underneath a rock and rushed to help him. "Oh thank you urVa, thank you!" the young man cried as he struggled to get to his feet. urVa did not know who he was but most everyone in the Spriton clan knew him.

"What happened here? Who is responsible?" he grasped the Gelfling with all four of his hands to keep him from falling.

"There's a-Skeksi!" the man started sobbing. "He just appeared in the midst of the square, we don't know how, and he just kept swinging at everything he could with his huge axe. Then he started fires! He started them so fast it must have been magic!" The Gelfling was panicking now; urVa tried his best to calm him. "It was frenzy! A few of us stayed back to distract him while everyone else escaped, some of us went to protect the Queen. Please help urVa!"

"Where are the men who went to aid Hyla? Is Gorall among them?" His mind was racing now; he had to find the Skeksi but must make sure all the Gelflings were out of the village first. The young man nodded, "They're at the smith collecting weapons." He fell unconscious then; urVa put him atop Vespyr and looked up towards the mountain, he could faintly see the group of villagers in the distance on the mountain face.

"Go my friend, bring him to the others up north, they'll take care of him there." He pointed the way to Vespyr who took off immediately, and then he darted to the forge to look for Gorall.

Although he was running quickly, he could see the damage done to the Spriton's village and it made him angrier; there was still no sign of a Skeksi but urVa could sense him more strongly now. He approached the blacksmith and could hear voices, he peered around the corner and saw a group of Gelfings hovering over a body; "Please, no." he thought. "What ho!" he said loudly so they saw him right away. Upon getting nearer to them, he could see that there were two bodies; one was leaning over the other. Gorall was mourning his Queen.

"urVa?" Gorall looked at him through tear-stained eyes. "urVa, when did you get here?"

"That's not important now; Gorall, what happened? I sense a Skeksi!" he implored with a modicum a self control; he didn't want to send Gorall into further shock.

Gorall looked down at the lifeless body of Hyla and as silent tears fell, he couldn't find any words.

"Where is the Skeksi Gorall?" he raised his voice and looked him in right in the eye. Gorall finally spoke. "Den and a group went after him, trying to force him to the cliff, help him urVa." He turned away from urVa again to concentrate on Hyla's face. urVa had never seen his friend this serious and somber. "I loved her you know..." Gorall just trailed off after saying that while he stroked her hair; urVa embraced his friend warmly, there was nothing he could say or do except leave to avenge her and the others who may have lost their lives today.

He furiously ran to the cliff which was the opposite side of the mountain where he saw the group in the distance; there, towering amongst them was the Skeksi; as urVa got closer he could make out who it was, he had a jagged beak, half of it was missing, for it was urVa who had broken it years back in their first and only confrontation, he had on his head a stained and dirty feather mask that he never took off; skekMal the Hunter. Not a bowman like urVa, the Skeksi hunted Gelfings for prey. There was what looked to be ten men encircling him trying to force him to the edge, but skekMal deflected them with his great, bloody axe; swinging it wildly until he hit someone. urVa got closer as skekMal's axe struck one of the defenders in the chest, blood spurted everywhere as the Gelfling crashed to the ground; Denil…no. His lifelong friend and one of the Spritons most accomplished warriors, he had the liveliest stories of his exploits and urVa often raised his glass to him; but here he was now, broken…and most likely dead.

"Nooooooooooooo!" urVa pounced on skekMal and knocked him down; skekMal was almost twice the size of urVa but that didn't hinder him from getting right back up on his feet. "urVaaaaaaaaa mmmmmmmm! What a treat!" he looked at him with dead, soulless eyes. "I was hoping to have a dinner of Mystic soon, so fortunate am I that it's being brought to me." His voice and scent were that of a rotting corpse. urVa got into position. "I am prepared to fight to my demise if needs be skekMal, but know this-I will not go down without bringing you with me." skekMal squawked then a hideous sound, his battle cry perhaps; they engaged immediately, urVa's four appendages were just as brutal as skekMal's axe it seemed. urVa gripped the handle of the axe and forced skekMal to the ground once again.

"Does eating Gelfings make you stronger skekMal, or just uglier?" he taunted as he punched him in the face repeatedly. skekMal turned to urVa, his grotesque mask shining in the sunlight, his tattered rags dripping with blood, his muscles contorted, then tightened as he rose up to his full height while throwing urVa off of him.

"Then let it be urVa!" He roared gutturally. "TO DEMISE!" he screamed as he held up his axe and charged his foe. urVa easily deflected his first blow, skekMal never went into a fight with thought at first, but urVa would have to act fast from now on, for skekMal would shortly go berserk. He started wildly chopping at urVa, but urVa was too fast on all four limbs and swept him under his feet. skekMal gurgled and screeched at that and threw his axe as hard as he could and hit urVa's left arm at the elbow-it came right off. urVa shrieked in terror as skekMal got back up to his feet, grabbed his axe and stood over urVa tauntingly as urVa twisted and writhed on the ground.

"Out of practice are weeeeeeee hmmmmmmmmmmmmm?" skekMal rose his axe high in the air above his head; it gave urVa just the opportunity he needed. He swung his three good arms and punched skekMal in the face with all his force which knocked his precious mask off. When skekMal had realized this, he screeched in terror.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO you didn't! MY POWERRRRRRRRR MMMMMMMMM!" That was urVa's cue, he just didn't know it until that moment; he yanked the stopper off the glass vial and threw a handful of crystal sand at skekMal, he didn't know what it would do nor would it be effective; but he had to try, for the Spritons.

For a second, skekMal looked as if he were about to get ready for another round, but he couldn't get up; he tried furiously to wipe away the crystal sand, he scratched at his face with his long jagged claws until there was practically no more face to scratch, his voice came out as bloody gurgles and he was still scratching, chunks of flesh were falling off now. urVa took his bow and aimed right for skekMal's nonexistent heart, "To your demise today, not mine skekMal." Once he shot, skekMal's whole body started shrinking in itself; the sand expanded and surrounded him in a rock hard crystalline shell. urVa just stared at it for a minute, tears welling up, He suddenly felt a vast feeling of loss. He began to howl in pain, he frightened the other Gelflings with its deafening volume, he was overcome with grief. He turned to where Denil was laying to see if there was anything he could do. He was barely alive he saw as he knelt down to his friends head.

"Denil, can you even say anything?" His tears were still streaming.

Denil's breath was ragged and his speech was low. "UrVa, it's you." Denil smiled as best he could then expired in his arms. The other Gelflings stood near urVa in silent mourning, urVa held him for what seemed an eternity and wept, he didn't even notice his left arm growing back. Him and the other Gelfings all got together to push the dead Skeksi's body off of the cliff's edge, then urVa spit after it. The Gelfings and he went to the mountain; he didn't speak at all. Zedil spotted him and rushed towards him. When he saw urVa's morose visage protectively holding the body of Denil, Zedil threw himself to the ground and wailed for his first born.

"He died a hero's death Zed." Was the only thing urVa can think to say as he kneeled next to his friend in loss. Him and Zedil spent the next half hour burying the fallen hero. He couldn't stay any longer, he was overcome with grief; thankfully, Vespyr appeared before him. As he mounted his horse, the Spritons watched him as they walked away.

urVa looked around once more at Spriton Village, for the final time.

It had seemed like years before he had gotten back to Tuli. When she saw him, she remained silent, yet began to attend to his wounds. urVa's first reaction was to make her go away so he could be alone and not be bothered by anyone, he wanted sleep and for all this to be over, but there was so much more to do, would it ever be over? He wondered of his brothers, how they were faring, he thought, not so well.

Chapter 15 – Tysma

Beaten and his body exhausted, urVa was hunched limply on his horse, trying to stay awake. Every time he closed his eyes he relived the horrors of the previous days. Vespyr and Tuli strode at a steady yet solemn pace, they were in shock, they'd never seen him like this in all the time they'd been traveling companions. Tuli sensed his pain many times although for her liking it had been too much. She had suspected that even Vespyr was aware as well, knowing how empathic he was. urVa's outward remorse seemed far worse this time around, urVa would most likely agree; everything was crashing down on him. The weight of his journey and events that had shaped it thus far had broken him finally; he couldn't feel anymore. He drifted off at some point and awoke during nightfall; luckily, he had no dreams to speak of. The journey to the Woodland realm was quick and quiet; when they arrived, they were greeted customarily and shown to quarters to rest. urVa faintly recalled being given food and drink but he ignored it. They were there for three days before Tuli got any food or drink in him.

"Pleeeeezee eat urVaaaaaaaaa, don't leave Tuli." She bemoaned. He ate just to appease her; he felt only a little bit better after that. He waited for two more days for his meeting with the last of the arbitrators; now he knew what Keirnaine meant when she said Tysma would be the last Queen and tried not to think of it as a cruel joke.

A villager led him to a quaint cottage behind a border of one of the Woodlands' enormous farms. It was quiet and peaceful inside as he waited. When Tysma appeared, it seemed as if out of nowhere; she stood in the shadows near a brightly lit fireplace. urVa gracefully bowed. "Tysma, sister of Keirnaine, I greet thee."

"So formal bowman, why?" she approached him gingerly. "I may be exhausted from my trek Tysma but I will always stand on ceremony with a Gelfling Queen." he said. She nodded as she came into full sight of him.

"Would'st thou dance with me urVa? I've not danced in so long." there seemed to be a hint of melancholy in her tone as she gazed upon him, urVa was drawn to her in ways he wasn't sure of.

"Yes my Lady, I will, but where is there music?" he questioned. "All around, my friend." She grinned at him and he felt awkward. "Cannot you feel it?" she glided towards him with ease and placed her small hand into his.

"No my Lady I cannot, I am sorry, things have been-despairing of late, my soul grows weary." She looked at him quizzically. "What about all that my sister has done? Did not that help?" He sheepishly looked down but she caught his chin; he couldn't help but stare right at her and she smiled at that. "Then come, come to me urVa, let me engulf you in my heart." He fell to her almost instantly, into a dreamlike state, and then the song came on.

The melody pierced his body in a single shock; he startled and pulled Tysma tightly to him. His senses filled with all of her- his eyes were shut yet he could still see her, not as she was moments before, but of her true essence. It touched everything in him; it blinded his sight in every way. The music got stronger, louder; there were harmonies now, urVa could smell moonlight. He was reminded of himself as a boy, using his first bow to stalk a doe during twilight. The tune changed again, instruments of long, forgotten use crescendoed and fell. urVa pressed himself harder to her. "Learn where the music is, learn yourself." she said. This time he saw colors, they went from pale embers to saturated fires; jeweled plums faded to dusky lavenders. He hadn't a clue what Tysma meant, he dug his hands into her, to better understand what she felt, he then heard faint whistling – like morning dew.

"Look at me urVa." Her voice fell upon him like the song he heard, he feared to open his eyes lest it cease to be. "I am still here, holding you urVa." That filled him with peace; he opened his eyes to meet her gaze. The Woodland Queen in all her visage, essence and all was too much to bear, he concentrated on the one and only part he could see clearly, her eyes. They were large, liquid orbs of green amber, they made him think of his favorite fruit, again as a boy was when he ate them, could taste them now even. He didn't know what came over him, but he kissed her then and there. Tysma pulled away and looked at him, shocked but seeming to consider his face. "Do you know what I have to give you to help battle with the Skesis?"

He looked at her with confused eyes, like he had just walked out of the dream. "No my Lady, I am afraid I do not, but the solace you have given me over these moments has well made up for the struggles I have gone through and will keep me going until the end." He meant what he said with nothing but intense veracity and she looked undecipherable at that. "You are here for me to challenge your Love, simply that." She looked down at the floor after that, almost ashamed.

urVa was about to apologise then thought better of it; he felt like he was being dragged through the muck with all of this arbitrator nonsense. "What is that supposed to mean Tysma? For I have no idea! I have been through nothing like I ever have and the Queens see fit to mock me with riddles!"

"That's not true!" she yelled. "We only wish to-

"-help, yes I know." He said indignantly. "You didn't help our cause in Spriton village; do you know what I experienced there? Something I've never before, anguish. After I killed skekMal it felt as if my very essence hurt, I have been trying to forget it but I cannot; where were my Queens then?" "Where were they when I heard the cries of Gelflings who fell prey to skekTet and his machinations, yet I've never been physically present to them? Why is that Tysma?"

She looked at him somberly. "I am aware of your trials urVa and I can feel your suffering." She was getting excitable and her eyes were getting watery.

"I am here to ask you urVa the Mystic-whom do you love? That is my test and nothing more!" she brushed away the tears from her face. "You do not have to answer now, nor even unto me-you must however realize for yourself, for all of us." She stood firm and resolute, urVa looked at her in silence for a long time and she held that look the entire time.

Even though he was taken aback by Tysma's artful request, he felt braver than he ever had; he felt vital again, he knew now that the Skeksis would be stopped.

Tysma could see it in his eyes and smiled, urVa bowed once more. "Thank you Tysma of the Wood, I know now what I must do, we will be triumphant."

"My highest blessings for you and your company urVa, for they adore you as do I." She ran up to embrace him and they held each other fiercely, never saying another word.

Tuli and Vespyr were elated to see him looking and feeling in higher spirits, they feasted that night on the bounties the Woodland farms had to offer. urVa decided not to mention to Tuli what he had learned. The little Vapran moth was volatile with emotion when it came to him and he wanted her to have her wits about her through the rest of their journey.

Once he figured out what he had to do, the burden seemed to lift effortlessly. He was finally ready; ready to meet his fate.


End file.
